As a first grade teacher with 15 years of experience, I was so excited to learn about the Johnny Can Spell program. Phonics is such an important tool in learning to spell, write, and read, and I was dissatisfied with the traditional workbooks. Last year I attended the Johnny Can Spell workshop and used the program with my children for the final three months of the school year. Those students loved the new program and made tremendous gains in spelling along with reading and writing. Parents came to me saying how well their child could decode words. They couldn't believe the progress their child was making.

This year I started Johnny Can Spell on the first day of school. The results have been amazing!! Each month I test their spelling grade level and see improvement made by all of my students!! My students love learning new words and ask for more than the standard six per day. I have also noticed increased basic skills scores in reading. My children are getting tools to help them to develop into life-long learners!! I am proud to be teaching a method that has such a profound effect on the student's overall academic success!

I was a weekly volunteer in my daughter's first grade class all last year. In the spring, her teacher began using the Johnny Can Spell reading, writing, spelling program. I was able to observe an amazing response in the children. The results were not just improved spelling--but, improved reading, writing, and attitudes. The excitement and involvement of each child as they participated was wonderful. I was and continue to be deeply thankful for [our teacher's] willingness and hard work in doing this program, especially so late in the school year. In doing so, she greatly affected each child's academic achievement in a positive way.

I am so excited about Johnny Can Spell !! The successful results I am seeing this year with my first grade students have absolutely overwhelmed me! It has truly revolutionized my classroom . . . not just our spelling time, but the entire day! My students are showing a zest for learning that I didn't know was possible. Their individual confidence level is high because they know they really are working hard, learning a lot, and doing good work. I strongly encourage the adoption of Johnny Can Spell in the elementary classroom.

The use of the Johnny Can Spell phonics program is to be congratulated. As a parent, it gives me great pleasure to see the progress of our daughter, a six-year-old. It has renewed my enthusiasm for the educational process, especially in light of the large number of students who reach the upper grades without the ability to read effectively. Our first grade daughter has made phenomenal progress in just ten weeks of school. This past summer we were reading books to her -- now she is reading the same books to us! My thanks to those who are reviving a proven and effective method of teaching the gateway to knowledge -- reading.

My husband and I are very impressed with all our son is learning so early in 1st grade! He often verbalizes about rules he's learned about our English language. It all comes out very natural! I can't believe all the words he is spelling, and all the phonograms he knows. I am excited that it makes so much sense to him. Thank you for being courageous to try something different!! It's fresh and fun and clear, and it's working. Our son is excited and enthusiastic about spelling, and we are too!

All my students are able to hear English sounds which they were not able to hear in the past. When tested on phonics skills in unit tests, they are able to differentiate sounds and pass the test. Before using [Johnny Can Spell], the children would have failed the phonics section of the test. . . . Since we make sentences with every word, I no longer have to make up sentences to illustrate the words. The children want to make the sentences. They used to dread making oral or written sentences; now, they write sentences in their free time.

My fifth grade students have gone from never passing a spelling test in the regular classroom to making A's most of the time. My third graders are no longer silent in their regular classroom; they gladly participate in class discussions.

Using [Johnny Can Spell] has given my bilingual students a system to decipher and decode words that they could never have done before. It has helped strengthen their vocabulary and use of words in the English language. One of my first graders said, "I'm smart now!"

The Johnny Can Spell approach to spelling, reading, and writing is producing the kinds of gains in student learning that make teaching a joyful experience. In just a few short months since our school began the program in September, I have seen children increase their attentiveness and their ability to visually discriminate. The latter skill is demonstrated by improved punctuation and language control in their writing.

I am especially excited about the improved word attack skills the children have developed. Our school is economically and ethnically diverse. . . . The phonological approach of Johnny Can Spell creates a more level playing field for all children. Regardless of background, each child is taught a method that allows them to read more fluently.

As a classroom teacher of 29 years, I feel as if my classroom has a whole new atmosphere this year. Thanks to the workshop Johnny Can Spell , I feel as if I have finally found a way to teach all my students to be better spellers, readers, and writers. It pleases me to see how they transfer their knowledge into their other subjects.

The Johnny Can Write workshop has enabled me to better help students with their composition. I can see their self-confidence increasing greatly. I also have a greater self-confidence as I feel l have a better insight into what I am teaching. Without a doubt the two workshops helped me to restructure my classroom into a very positive situation.